Persistence
by Kegel
Summary: At Hogwarts, Ginny, Neville and Luna revive the DA. Spoilers for Deathly Hallows.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Of course I do not own the Harry Potter series or any of its characters.

**Summary: **At Hogwarts, Ginny, Neville and Luna revive the DA. Spoilers for Deathly Hallows.

**A/N: **This is my first HP fic, so I am mostly testing waters here. Feedback would be great.

* * *

_**Persist**__**ence**_

The train appeared empty despite the amount of people on board. It was not only that three very distinctive people were missing, but the number of students seemed to smaller in general. Ginny remembered that it had often been difficult to find a vacate compartment when going on the train on September 1st. Today she had seen that several were empty, when she had walked along the corridor, glancing briefly into the compartments where students were crammed together, unwilling to sit alone.

Now Ginny was sitting among some other girls from her year, but she noticed who was missing: all the Muggle-borns.

Ginny looked out of the window onto the platform where her mother was still standing, accompanied by Charlie. Ginny caught her glance. Her expression was worried and it was all too clear for her daughter why. Mrs. Weasley was concerned because of her youngest child going back to Hogwarts, the place that had always supposed to be the safest at all, but now with Dumbledore dead and his murderer having replaced him as headmaster… Ginny couldn't exactly blame her mother for her worry. Then there was the fear for her brothers and her father, working for the Order, always in danger of being the next one on the long list of missing and dead. And then there was Ron.

Ginny broke eye-contact with her mother and let her gaze wander through the compartment of chatting girls. She had known of course that Ron would not be here today, neither would Hermione. Neither would Harry.

Ginny answered a question another girl had directed at her rather absent-mindedly, and brought a smile on her face when the train started rolling out of the station and Ginny had a last look at her mother and her brother. She waved briefly and leaned back in her seat then, banning dark thoughts from her mind. There was neither time nor place for those.

Ginny joined the conversations around her, but soon after the train had left King's Cross, the compartment door was slid open and talking stopped for a moment, until everybody had seen who it was and conversations were resumed.

Ginny smiled at Neville who seemed to search for the right way to say whatever he wanted to say, still holding the compartment door open. Suddenly he retreated, signaling Ginny to follow him, unnoticed by anybody else.

Ginny jumped up, apologizing to whose toes she had hit, making her way into the corridor of the train. Neville's head stuck out of compartment farther back in the train and Ginny strode quickly over to him. He held up the door for her, letting it slide shut once she had entered. The compartment was empty, safe for Luna, who was sitting at the window, looking out, apparently watching the rolling-by countryside.

"Well," Neville started behind Ginny and she turned around, looking at him puzzled.

"What is up, Neville?"

Neville sat down on the nearest seat. "Well, I thought… since Harry isn't here, and Hermione isn't, and Ron isn't… we should take it in our hands." He looked at her, a questioning expression on his face.

"What should we take in our hands?" Ginny questioned, although an idea what Neville meant was dawning on her.

"The DA."

Ginny dropped on the seat behind her, glancing from Neville to Luna who was now watching the both of them.

"The DA," Ginny repeated, ordering her thoughts. "The DA is…" Over? Ginny was not sure what she wanted to say. The core of the DA was not on the train to go back to Hogwarts this year.

"Neville is very right," Luna said, before Ginny could come up with any reasoning against Neville's suggestion. Ginny remembered that Luna had been disappointed last year that the DA was not going to be continued, seeing it as a place where she had friends. She looked at the Ravenclaw thoughtfully.

"We can continue it," Luna said brightly. "Neville, and you and I and everybody else who wants to take part." Her face lit up at the idea.

"With Snape as headmaster it won't be better than back when we had Umbridge," Neville pointed out and Ginny nodded slowly. She was thinking of what she had heard at Harry's birthday party. A mission for a renewed DA was forming in her mind. She would be able to help Harry. They would be able to help Harry.

"It's a good idea," she said. "And I have already a plan what the DA can do to support Harry." Ginny smiled.

"My father tells people to support Harry," Luna nodded.

"What are you planning?" Neville wanted to know, glancing into the direction of the corridor briefly. They could only hope that nobody was overhearing them. Then Ginny remembered a spell she had heard Hermione using at the Burrow.

"_Muffliato," _she said, waving her wand.

"What was that?" Neville asked surprised.

"It will stop anybody from overhearing us," Ginny explained simply. "And what I'm planning is to get Gryffindor's sword out of Snape's, the headmaster's, office." She realized that she had dropped quite a bomb saying that and wondered if Neville would retreat from the plan to continue the DA now.

"This is a good idea. Harry could need the sword. He used it against Tom Riddle when I was in my first year," Luna said.

"I remember that all too well," Ginny returned.

"But why-?" Neville started.

"Dumbledore wanted Harry to have the sword. He put it down in his will, but Scrimgeour refused him to have it," Ginny explained. "He told him it's Hogwarts' property, so it will still be in Dumbledore's office." Former office that was.

"We can get it for Harry then, if he's not coming back to Hogwarts." She looked at her two companions. "He's not here. It's a pity."

Ginny glanced from Luna to Neville. "I don't think it's going to be that easy."

"Whatever Harry, Ron and Hermione are doing out there, it isn't easy either," Neville said and Luna nodded, starting to rummage through the small bag that had been lying beside her.

Ginny knew that the other two were right. Harry might have ended it between them because he feared for her safety, but at Hogwarts she would be just as safe as it was possible anywhere in these times with Voldemort back and the Ministry under his control, and at the same time she could try helping him. Dumbledore had wanted him to have Gryffindor's sword. He must have known that Harry would need it. And she could get it for him.

Luna had pulled out several strange objects out of her bag, but stopped rummaging now that she held up a glimmering coin the size of a galleon. It was one of the coins Hermione had distributed among the members of the DA.

"I think it's still working," she said smiling. Neville started looking around in his stuff and Ginny doubted for a moment that he would find his coin, but then she saw it emerging from between his robes.

"Here's mine," he said, apparently surprised. Luna tipped her coin with the end of her wand, muttering quietly. Ginny saw a soft shine coming from both her and Neville's coin. "It's working," Luna said happily.

"Hermione's a genius," Neville said, looking at Ginny. "Do you have yours?"

"It's in my trunk," Ginny replied confidently. The first step to the recreating of the DA was done. They had a means of communication. "We'll send a message to any DA member who's still at Hogwarts."

"We'll recruit new members," Neville said. "Dumbledore's Army still recruiting."

"We'll get Harry's sword," Luna added.

Ginny nodded. "Sure we'll do," she said, glancing to the corridor again, casting another _Muffliato _spell for good measure.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **At Hogwarts, Ginny, Neville and Luna revive the DA. Spoilers for Deathly Hallows.

**A/N: **I'm obviously not the greatest poet…

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**Chapter 2**

Luna hopped off the train onto the platform before her and Ginny followed, casting a glance back into the train where Neville was standing in the corridor, talking quietly to two boys from his year. When Ginny looked back at the platform, Luna had vanished in the mass of students who were pouring out of the train and along the station.

"Don't block my way, Longbottom," she could hear an all too familiar voice back inside the train. Looking back up to Neville, Ginny had trouble staying near the door of the train, as she was pushed along by other students on their way out. She watched Neville stepping aside, making the way free for Draco Malfoy who threw some insulting phrase at Neville, before he got off the train as well.

Ginny could have said something, could have pointed out that Draco was mostly words, that he had not appeared that brave when he had run away at the end of last year after Snape had killed Dumbledore for him, but she knew better than to start any fights with him, drawing attention to herself in an unnecessary way, something she should save up for more worthwhile things. She knew though that Harry would not have been able to help getting back at Draco. But she wasn't Harry.

"Come, Neville," she called, and he nodded, climbing out of the train after Seamus Finnigan. Seeing Seamus reminded Ginny that Dean had not been on the train. He would probably not come back to Hogwarts at all, she guessed. It was only one more reason why they had to do something against this new regime.

The flow of students became finally smaller, and Ginny could make out the pile of first years who were assembled around the certainly not to miss figure of Hagrid further down the platform. Hagrid looked over to her for a moment, a searching look on his face and Ginny wondered if he had known at all that Harry, Ron and Hermione would not come back. She smiled at him.

"Ginny?"

She turned around and saw that Neville was waiting for her now.

"I'm coming."

* * *

In the great hall it was even much more obvious that there were fewer students this year. On all tables many seats remained empty. The line of first years waiting to be sorted was shorter as well which was no surprise as only students from wizarding families were there, but none of the usually considerable number of Muggle-born first years, stepping new into the wizarding world.

Ginny looked up to the front where the teachers were sitting. On Dumbledore's old place, Snape had seated himself tonight, and there were two faces Ginny had not seen before. An almost calming continuum was Professor McGonagall who was holding a list of the first years standing ready to be sorted into their houses. She did not move to speak though. Ginny had almost forgotten about the song of the Sorting Hat into that it was breaking now.

_This castle was built long ago_

_thought to persist forever_

_its ideas now though_

_blacken in a fever,_

_threatened__ to forgo_

_as grievously as never_

_Hence d__efend and aid_

_regardless of your house,_

_with greatest weight_

_do rouse_

_to ban the evil_

_from this hall_

_and revel_

_in its fall_

Ginny's eyebrows had risen slowly. She glanced carefully at Snape once the hat had finished, but the new headmaster's expression remained unmoved.

"It's courageous, the hat, isn't it? Or stupid maybe," Seamus Finnigan, who was sitting next to her, whispered.

"It has nothing to fear. I mean, what can they do to a hat?" Ginny questioned, guessing though that the hat wouldn't get an opportunity to sing so soon again. Seamus shrugged.

Ginny was not sure where it started, but guessed that it was at the Gryffindor table that somebody applauded the hat and more and more people joined the acclaim. It was only because she was used to her strict exterior that Ginny thought to detect a hint of pleasure in Professor McGonagall's expression.

The clapping died down quickly though and the head of Gryffindor house started to read aloud the names of the first years. The Sorting itself gave Ginny almost a sense of normality which vanished soon though when after the procedure had ended it was not Professor Dumbledore that raised from his seat, but Snape.

"I welcome you to the new school year," he said simply. "I hope you are all very keen to study hard and to behave accordingly to your privileged status at this school."

Privileged status. If he meant that all of them were pure-bloods or at least half-bloods then he could stay away with it, Ginny thought. She could sit here, protected by her blood status, but could think only with a pang of all those people who had not been able to come back this year, were maybe even on the run now.

"I have only few announcements to make regarding our staff," Snape continued. "Professor Amycus Carrow is going to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts this year and Professor Alecto Carrow is going to take over the post of teacher for Muggle Studies."

Ginny was surprised that there would even be the subject Muggle Studies this year. She could not imagine that they would continue teaching the way of living of Muggles and encourage close wizard-Muggle-relationships.

"The subject of Muggle Studies will be required for all of you this year, following a new decree from the Ministry of Magic," Snape went on and Ginny was wondering more and more what they were going to teach there. "Let's start our dinner now."

Dinner appeared on the tables and Ginny saw that the house-elves were still working as hard as usual, the variety of dished not diminished. She loaded her plate, thinking of Ron who would have relished in this dinner.

Once the meal was finished, Ginny leaned over to Seamus. "Keep your fake galleon at hand," she told him quietly. He looked puzzled, but pleased. Ginny stood up and joined Luna walking out of the Great Hall.

"Can you tell the Ravenclaw DA members to keep an eye on their fake galleon?" she asked the other girl.

Luna nodded. "Yes, I'm going to tell them about it." Ginny wondered for a moment if they were going to listen to Luna.

Luna departed, and Ginny watched her skipping up the stairs to the Ravenclaw common room for a moment, before she walked up to her own common room.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Last night she had not acted on anything. She had not met Neville in their common room and hesitated to call for a meeting of the remaining DA members right now, especially before she had talked with Neville or Luna about it. Ginny did not even know where they could hold their meetings. Her mood had become even grimmer when she had walked into her bedroom where one bed remained empty this year. Altogether, on this rainy September morning things appeared even more difficult than she had thought yesterday.

She was sitting at breakfast when the familiar swoosh of the owls flying into the Great Hall made her look up to see if any owl was coming for her. And indeed an own unfamiliar to her let an envelope fall next to her glass of orange juice. Ginny grabbed it quickly, ripping open the letter, curious for news from home.

She smiled slightly when she read the letter from her mother telling her that things were alright at home, to take care of herself and that poor Ron was still suffering from spattergroit. Ginny was not quite sure whether it meant that the Weasleys had not heard from Ron, or that they had. She knew that they would not tell her openly in a letter anyway.

Folding the letter, she caught Neville's look. He was sitting at the next table. Grimacing she tucked her letter under her arm and grabbed the rest of her breakfast, balancing it over to Neville's table.

"We can sit together, you know," she said earnestly.

"Yeah," Neville said quietly.

"I didn't see you in the common room last night." Ginny gulped down half of her glass of juice.

"Well, yeah, Seamus and I, we were upstairs… mood was a bit gloomy." He pocked with his fork in his fried eggs. "It's only the two of us this year." Ginny nodded gravely. Of the five male Gryffindor Seventh years only two had returned to Hogwarts. If the seriousness of the situation could be felt anywhere, it was in the bedroom where Dean, Ron and Harry had used to sleep.

"You should have come down to us," Ginny said simply and Neville nodded again, halfway shrugging. They sat in silence for some moments, before Ginny spoke again. "I'd really have a meeting of the DA members who are still at Hogwarts," she said quietly, unable to stop herself from a nervous glance around. "The sooner we start, the better. I just don't know where we could meet." She had thought about it, but a solution had not come up. They had to be careful; it was not like back when Umbridge had ruled. Now they were dealing with Death Eaters.

"Why don't we use the Room of Requirement?" Neville asked, finally shoving a fork of food into his mouth.

"Umbridge found us there," Ginny replied slightly bitter.

"Only because Cho's friend talked," he pointed out. "And I don't think Snape knows about it."

Ginny looked at him doubtingly. "We don't know that. He could know, the other Death Eaters could know. You-Know-Who could know."

Neville seemed to brood over this, finishing his breakfast. Then Professor McGonagall came walking along the row of tables, handing time tables to the Gryffindor students. She gave Neville and Ginny theirs as well, but her look seemed to linger on Ginny for a bit longer and Ginny wondered what she saw in her.

She looked at her time table, seeing confirmed what Snape had said the last night. Muggle Studies was compulsory this year. She would have classes with both of the Crowells today, it was definitely something to look forward to.

When she rose from her seat, Neville called after her, but so quietly that she had almost not heard it. She turned back to him.

"I'll work something out," he said and Ginny smiled slightly, surprised, but glad, about Neville taking the initiative.

Ginny walked off to her first lesson, Defence against the Dark Arts. Entering the classroom she noticed that they had the class together with the Ravenclaws this year, and looked around for Luna who she finally found hidden behind what looked like the newest edition of the Quibbler. Unless she was completely wrong, the grimace on the cover was supposed to picture a Death Eater mask and she hoped that Luna would put the magazine away before Amycus Carrow turned up.

Ginny dropped down next to Luna who greeted her from behind the magazine. Ginny was surprised that she had even seen her.

"I'd put that away," she mouthed quietly, as Carrow was just walking into the room. "He'll see it."

Luna looked up from the magazine. "He can read it if he wants."

"Can I have it?" Ginny asked quickly.

"Sure."

Ginny grabbed the paper quickly, shoving it into her bag. It had been just in time as Carrow was glancing around the class room now. Some moments later the class was silent. Ginny saw that the professor had laid several books on his desk but not enough for the whole class.

"I'm here to teach you some effective measures for the protection of our kind," Carrow started, and Ginny saw that he was reading aloud a small slip of parchment. "With the powers that lie within us, we have to be able to protect ourselves from inferiors who crave to steal these powers from us," he went on and Ginny felt sick, hearing the new ministry policy continued in the classroom.

So they were going to learn how to "protect" wizards, but likely not from the Dark Arts, but from Muggles and anybody else who was considered "inferior"? She glanced to her right side and saw that even Luna's usually dreamy expression had changed into a frown.

"I'll show you lot a useful spell today," Carrow said now, turning to the books he had brought. He lifted one of them, showing the cover to the class. It was an old edition of _The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1_ which they had used in their first year. "Even a simple book like this can be used through the screwed curiosity of Mudbloods to pry into our secrets."

Ginny wanted to hit something.

"There's a useful way of protection though," Carrow went on and tipped the book with his wand. "_Repelo nesourceri_," he yelled suddenly much louder than he had spoken before. A purple shine fell on the book for a moment before it seemed to sink into it. Carrow was still holding the book in his hand. "It's really harmless for any wizard to touch the book. Anybody else though who ain't allowed to touch a book of spells, well, touching the book will have bad bad consequences."

Ginny was surprised to see that somebody had lifted their arm. It was a boy from Ravenclaw.

"What's going to happen to them?" he asked and in his voice sounded his insecurity whether he should be curious or distasted.

"Well," Carrow's expression changed to something like a smile. "Sorry, sorry, I can't show it to you now, but I can ask Professor Snape to lend us one of those house-elves for a test in our next lesson."

Ginny wondered when school had become something to feel sick about. She hoped Neville would work out his plan fast. Very fast. Maybe she would feel better if she had at least the impression that she was doing something against all of this.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. I moved to another country this week which somehow delayed my updating lol.**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Ginny returned to the common room that night in a grumpy mood. She had thought that it would be impossible that Muggle Studies would be any worse than Defence Against the Dark Arts. She had even been right, for they had at least learned no spells that would harm non-wizards, but apart from that it has been just another round of sickness. Charms with Professor Flitwick had been the light of the day. She had not seen Neville at lunch and had wondered if he was somewhere working on their meeting place problem. She hoped he was doing so and that he was not in any trouble already.

That this was apparently not the case did she see, when she caught sight of him in the common room. He was sitting near the fire, a smile on his face. He waved her over, and Ginny dropped into an armchair opposite of him.

"You seem in a good mood," she said. "You didn't have Defence Against the Dark Arts, did you?"

Neville shook his head. "No, I didn't. But Muggle Studies. It can't be any worse-"

"Oh, it can," Ginny returned. At this moment, Seamus sat down in the next armchair, wearing the same smile as Neville.

"Neville has a plan," he said pleased and Ginny looked from him to Neville.

"So what's your plan?" she demanded.

Neville leaned forward a bit, Seamus and Ginny mimicking his movement so that their heads were closer together. It was not likely that any Gryffindor would overhear anything, or rather that any of them would overhear anything and go and tell somebody, but it was better safe than sorry, although Ginny did not want to use the _Muffliato _spell again.

"It's the Room of Requirement, isn't it?" Neville whispered. Seamus nodded, but Ginny frowned slightly, wondering what Neville was thinking about. "And we require that we can meet there and are not found." He smiled. "So we'll just have to tell the room that."

"You're right," Ginny said. "When the DA met so Harry could teach us, the room had all those books and pillows and other stuff that would come into use. It gives you what you need." She looked into the fire for a moment. "I wonder if it also keeps things out you do not want. Like Snape. Or the Crowells," she added.

"Let's go and try," Neville suggested.

"Neville!"

"You said you wanted us to do something quickly," he told her.

Ginny nodded earnestly. "Okay, let's go." She stood up and the other two followed her. They made their way out of the room and as far as Ginny could see nobody was paying special attention to them. They climbed out through the Portrait hole and once the entrance had shut the Fat Lady was calling after them. "Don't stay out too late," she said, hiding a yawn behind her hand. Ginny glanced back had her while Neville and Seamus led the way. They were lucky to not meet any teachers on their way, until they finally arrived at the floor with the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

"Okay, let's try," Neville said. "Seamus, do you volunteer?"

"For what?" the other boy asked a little suspiciously.

"To be kept out. We'll ask the room to give us a place where we can meet and you can't find us. If it works, it will work with Snape as well," Neville explained.

"Neville, you're brilliant," Ginny said, grinning slightly.

A small blush crept on Neville's face. "Well, I though a bit about it. And we don't know yet if it's going to work…"

"Well, let's try," Seamus brought them back to the task at hand. "I'll go down the corridor and come back in a minute and see if I can find you." Ginny and Neville nodded and Seamus walked off down the dimly lit corridor. Ginny and Neville started pacing up and down, remembering what Harry had told them about the way the room worked.

_We need a place where we can meet and Seamus can't find us, _Ginny thought, feeling a bit weird to tell the room to keep their fellow Gryffindor out. She stopped pacing and looked at the wall. A small door had appeared and Neville stepped forward to open it.

They saw a small room with a couple of armchairs, a small wooden table standing in the middle. Neville walked into the room and Ginny followed, shutting the door behind her. They sat down and Ginny noticed that the armchairs were just as cosy as those in the Gryffindor common room.

"So how long are we going to wait?" Ginny asked.

Neville shrugged. "Dunno. I don't want to keep Seamus too long out there."

Ginny nodded, looking around the small room. "It's not very big, is it? I guess it would be bigger if we met with more people." They sat in silence for a minute, before Ginny stood up and opened the door to the corridor again. She was Seamus touching the wall a few steps down the hallway.

"Seamus," she called him and he looked into her direction.

"Oh, there you are," he said gladly. "I've been searching the whole wall for a door, but didn't find one." He walked up to her, looking at the wooden frame in that she was standing. "Now I can see it," he said.

"So it's working," Neville called from inside the room, standing up to join Ginny and Seamus outside.

"Are we going to call for a meeting now?" Seamus asked eagerly, looking from Ginny to Neville.

"It's late…" the other boy said slowly, while they were wandering down the corridor. They were just about to turn around a corner when Ginny who was walking a little ahead of them, grabbed their robes and pulled them back from the corner with her.

"Run, it's Snape," she breathed and Seamus and Neville hurried after her, Neville getting ahead of her quickly, pulling open a door that appeared in the wall. Ginny and Seamus dashed inside the room and Neville jumped in as well, closing the door hastily.

Ginny looked around in the room. It was the same it had been before when they had wanted it to keep Seamus out. "You told it to hide us from Snape, didn't you?" she asked Neville who had sunk down on an armchair.

"Yeah," he replied, glancing worriedly at the door though.

"So what was Snape doing here?" Seamus asked. "You're sure it was him?" he added.

Ginny nodded. "No idea what he was doing here, but he's the headmaster, he can wander around the castle whenever he wants." She put her hand into a bag of her robes and pulled out a golden coin after a moment. She tipped it with her wand, muttering a spell. "DA meeting tomorrow night," she said to her two friends. "Let's hope a lot of people turn up."

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The fire in the common room was blazing as usually and Ginny had rolled herself in an armchair, staring into the flames. She was waiting for the night to come when they would finally have their first DA meeting of the year. Earlier today she had enchanted her galleon in order to inform the other members of the old DA who were still at Hogwarts of tonight's meeting. She hoped that many still paid attention to it. Of course, Hermione's charm was still working alright so the galleons should become warm as they used to do in the time of the old DA.

Now Ginny was just waiting for the time to pass. She had a plan in mind what they needed to do. She just was not so sure that the other DA members would be so keen on it. They might see it as too risky. Well, if that was the case, she would have to do it alone. Somehow. She didn't like the idea. But she did not like the idea of Harry, Ron and Hermione wandering around in the world helplessly, without any support, either.

"How much do you know about what they're doing?"

Ginny jumped slightly, turning away from the fire and to the boy who had spoken to her from the armchair next to hers. Neville looked at her somewhat uneasy.

"Not much," she replied simply. "Harry wanted to keep me out of it."

Neville hesitated. "But you know that he needs the sword?"

Ginny nodded. "At Harry's birthday party Scrimgeour turned up and told Harry, Ron and Hermione about Professor Dumbledore's will. He wanted Harry to have the sword, but Scrimgeour didn't want to give it to him. Told him it were the school's property. Professor Dumbledore must have known Harry needed it against You-Know-Who."

Neville nodded quietly. "Do you want to get going?" he asked after a few moments.

"I'm going to meet Luna outside the portrait hole," Ginny said slowly, standing up then. "I'll get a few things. I'll be right back," she added, walking off towards her dormitory. Neville waited in the common room, watching the other students. He was feeling somewhat nervous. It was a whole different kind of thing to have the responsibility for anything they did and not have Harry and Hermione lead the way.

Ginny returned after a few minutes. "I wish we had an invisibility cloak like Harry has," she said quietly to Neville who nodded.

"Or a map like Harry's," he added.

Ginny smirked. "No wonder Harry got away with sneaking around the castle all the time. We just have to be careful." They made their way out of the common room and had almost forgotten about Seamus who suddenly stood up from where he had been sitting and followed them out. They climbed through the portrait hole and found Luna waiting there. The Fat Lady was still chuckling when the hole to the Gryffindor common room had closed again.

"You have a funny friend," she said to Ginny, Neville and Seamus.

"I was telling her about our doorknocker that asks you questions before it lets you in," Luna explained. Ginny looked back at the portrait.

"The Fat Lady wouldn't be able to wait until somebody finally got the answer," she said and Luna laughed. "Do you know if any other Ravenclaws are coming?" Ginny asked, while they were walking down the stairs. It was still not too late to be out of bed, but who know if Snape, the Carrows or Filch would make up a sudden new rule that would forbid them to be out at this time, so Ginny looked around carefully for any sign of a teacher or the caretaker. A group of four students wandering around could be suspicious after all, and Ginny tried to come up with some explanations she could feed somebody who might catch them.

They reached the corridor of the Room of Requirement without any problems though, and Neville walked ahead to tell the room what they needed. He paced up and down three times and opened then the door that had materialized.

"We need a place where the DA can meet and no Death Eater can find us. That's what I told it," he explained.

"I wonder if the room can tell if somebody is a secret Death Eater," Luna said, while they walked into the room.

"It better can," Seamus stated, before he walked in after Ginny. "Should I leave the door open?"

"No, close it," Ginny decided. "Other members of the DA will be able to see it." She turned to look at the room. It was larger now than it had been at the previous night, when it had only been her, Neville and Seamus who had met her. Now the room seamed to expect a larger amount of people, for a few armchairs were placed in it, as well as tables, rolls of parchment and ink.

Luna had already sat down and brought out the Quibbler from somewhere in her robes, when a knock at the door caught the attention of the other three.

"Come in," Ginny called, confident it could only be DA members who were able to see the door. If the room failed them, they would be in big trouble anyway.

The door opened and revealed several other students from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. They walked in one after the after and Ginny noticed that the mood was not as cheery as it had been when the DA had met for the first time in the Hog's Head, two years back, when it had been an anti-Umbridge movement. Also she could see that most of the old DA members had followed their call. People who were absent had either graduated Hogwarts by now like the Weasley twins, or had not returned to school this year, like all the Muggle-borns and Harry, Ron and Hermione of course.

Everybody sat down in one of the armchairs and funnily they were exactly the right number. Most people were looking at Ginny expectantly and while it confused her a bit, she also realized that this was probably because everybody wondered how much she knew about what Harry was up to, why he had not returned to school (safe for the by now obvious reasons), where he was, what he was doing. Ginny hoped that they would not ask too direct questions though, as she would only have to disappoint them with her lack of knowledge about Harry's mission. There was one thing she could tell them though and it even related directly to what the DA could do.

"Hey," she started. "It's really great to see you here. As you've probably noticed, Hogwarts has been taken over by Death Eaters and we think we can't let them do what they're doing and not try to fight against it. That's why we want to revive the DA."

Agreeing murmur went through the room. Ginny thought it was best to come straight to the point.

"Who of you want to take part?" she asked openly. Hands were raised and as far as she would see nobody was left out.

"What do we want to do?" Ernie Macmillan asked quite as straight-forwardly as Ginny had.

"There are a lot of things…" Ginny started. Getting Gryffindor's sword was the first thing on her mind.

"We need to recruit more members," Neville took over. "Try to sabotage what the Death Eaters are doing, help out people and help Harry, Ron and Hermione with what they're doing."

"So what _are _they doing?" came the curious question from more than one person and attention went back to Ginny.

"I can't tell you a lot," she started carefully. "They're working against You-Know-Who of course." She paused briefly. "One thing I can tell you that we can help them, if we get Gryffindor's sword."

People were clearly excited about this announcement. Calls and questions were mingled so that Ginny was hardly able to understand anything.

"Where is the sword?" somebody asked loudly at last. Ginny was mildly surprised that they went directly to business so fast and that the idea to get the sword at all was not doubted. At least nobody raised their voice to do that now.

"It's probably in Snape's office," Ginny replied.

"Has anybody ever been in the headmaster's office?" Neville wanted to know. Many people shook their head.

"Harry has," Ginny said. "He's been there several times. He told me about it." She looked around in the room.

"How do you get in there?" Neville asked.

"You need a password," Ginny said simply, knowing that this would dispirit the excitement as they would have no chance to know that password. Snape certainly would not tell them if they asked.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Silence fell over the room for a moment. The fact that they needed a password to get to Snape's office complicated the whole adventure before it had even started, possibly ended it right here and now.

"How can we get the password?" Seamus asked, and Ginny was surprised about the optimism that spoke out of him that there would actually be a way to get it. She did think as well that there was a way, but they still would have to find it. "What about asking Snape?" Seamus suggested lightly and Ginny smirked as he voiced her earlier thought.

"It would be really great to have an Invisibility cloak like Harry has," Neville said. "We could wait hidden to hear what password Snape is using."

"We don't have one though," Ginny reminded him.

"We still could hide and wait," Seamus shrugged. "Or we pull a Harry, get into trouble and are called into Snape's office. Then we'd hear the password, wouldn't we?"

Ginny nodded. "Or better even if Snape drags us into his office. Then we'd hear it for sure. Of course he could change it later." She pondered how they could tackle this problem. "I'll do it," she said then. "I'll tread on Snape's feet and see what happens."

"No," Neville shook his head. "I'll do it. Your family's already a target. I don't think they see any threat in Gran and me."

Ginny looked at him surprised. She had already been astonished at how much Neville was taking DA matters into his hands, but that he had just volunteered to get caught by Snape, whom he feared as everybody knew, was more than amazing.

"Neville…," she started.

"I'll do it," he said firmly.

"Okay," Ginny agreed. "Neville's going to try to get the password. When he has it, we need to get into Snape's office the next night and hope that Snape didn't change it." This plan caused some excitement while Seamus looked at Neville somewhat admiring.

"What else are we going to do?" he asked then. "How can we get more members?"

"Talk to your friends, anybody who you think is trustworthy."

Ernie frowned. "How much attention should we draw to us? I mean, the more people know about the existence of the DA, the more dangerous it gets."

"I don't think we can hide the existence of the DA for very long," Ginny said. "We could just as well tell them openly that we are here, working against them. They'll notice anyway." Hopefully they would. If they did not, it would mean that their actions were not very effective or just student's pranks.

Neville smiled. "Then let's do that. Say openly that the DA is active again." On many bewildered expressions he continued, "Whatever we do, the Death Eaters will try to stop us. But they will also try to hide that there is resistance."

"It will be a signal, will give people some hope," Ginny nodded, thinking about how much hope it would give her, if she heard something from Harry, got any message or news about him.

Luna stood up and waved her wand. Purple, glittering writing appeared on the wall. _"Dumbledore's Army." _The letters were moving up and down, so that Ginny felt almost dizzy watching them.

"That's great," she said. "Maybe we should add something more of a message? Any suggestions?"

"Dumbledore's Army still recruiting," Neville proposed what he had already suggested on the Hogwarts Express. "It will tell people that the DA is active and looking for more members."

Seamus nodded, getting out his wand and waving it in a similar fashion as Luna had done before. Foxy red letters appeared on the wall that were moving as well as Luna's. They read the slogan Neville had suggested. _"Dumbledore's Army still recruiting."_

More people brought out their wands now and started trying out writing the slogan on the walls of the room. Ginny wondered if the Room of Requirement would leave the sayings on the walls until their next meeting. She was also reminded of the DA meetings with Harry, when he had taught them spells and everybody had practiced them, now that the present DA members were writing slogans on the walls, the air shimmering with different coloured lights coming from both the wands and the letters that appeared on the walls.

Ginny brought out her wand as well and added another _"Dumbledore's Army still recruiting"_. The letters shone brightly in front of her eyes. Neville joined her.

"What are you going to do with Snape?" she asked him.

Neville looked at the floor. "I don't know yet," he admitted quietly.

Ginny smiled at him. "You'll find something. You've had many great ideas so far."

Neville returned her smile. "Thanks."

"I think we should get going now," Ginny suggested, looking at the assembled DA members who were partly still writing slogans that became wilder and more colourful with every new try. "Hey," Ginny called to get the attention of the other students. "Let's go back to our common rooms now. You can write the slogan on the castle walls when you have an opportunity, but don't get caught doing it. We want to say that the DA is active, but not that any of you gets into trouble."

People nodded in agreement and started leaving the room in small groups as they had used to do after the original DA meetings. Luna said good night to Neville, Seamus and Ginny who stayed behind until everybody else had left.

"I still don't know what I will do," Neville told his two friends when the last Hufflepuffs had left. "I could just go and write the slogan on the walls in front of Snape's eyes, but I don't want it to be connected to the DA."

Ginny pondered about what Neville could do, while she opened the door of the Room of Requirement. Seamus and Neville walked out first, followed by her. She got a last look at the shining sayings on the walls, before she closed the door behind her. They made their way carefully back to the Gryffindor tower and saw several DA slogans on the walls on their way. The DA members had not hesitated in acting and Ginny hoped that none of them had been seen while spraying the walls. She wondered how long the slogans would stick. Filch would probably be able to remove them. She had to remember to go and find a spell to make them non-removable.

They were about to climb up the stairs to their common room when they suddenly saw Snape wandering along the corridor in the distance. Neville stopped in his tracks.

"Seamus, Ginny, go," he said urgently. "I'll… do something about Snape," he added, a small tremble in his voice, as he was starring into the direction of the present Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Ginny suddenly did not like the idea of Neville getting himself in trouble on purpose anymore at all. "Neville, stop," she tried calling him quietly so that Snape would not hear her, but Neville was running away from the stairs and Ginny and Seamus looked after him in horror.

"He's lost it," Seamus whispered. Ginny grabbed his arm in determination and pulled him up the stairs to get out of Snape's sight when Neville did whatever he was planning.

She still could not believe that Neville had volunteered to do this and the convincement that Neville truly belonged to Gryffindor was on her mind while she pulled Seamus farer up the stairs, before they stopped in shock when they heard a loud _bang_ coming from downstairs.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Look, a chapter! **_

_**Okay, I'm really sorry for taking so long! I had a bad conscience about this story for weeks, but school was very very busy. Anyway, thanks for reviewing! It certainly helped me to pick up this story again!**_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Neville ran away from the stairs, leaving Ginny and Seamus behind. Snape was almost out of sight now, and Neville hurried to catch up with him. Snape was about to turn a corner though, and Neville, afraid he would lose sight of him, grabbed his wand firmly, bringing it forward strongly, shouting the first spell that he knew whose effect would get the headmaster's attention.

A loud bang erupted from the other side of the corridor, close to where Snape had been walking. Neville flinched. Once he had recovered, he looked forward and saw that the wall had been damaged as if it had been hit by a cannon ball.

Naturally, none of this had gone unnoticed by Snape. Neville, reminding himself that this was what he had intended, stood nailed to the spot, watching Snape turning around. He cast a brief dark look at the battered wall, before his gaze fixed on Neville.

A wave of old fear washed over Neville, one that would have hindered him from running, even if he had not been as determined to stand his ground as he was. He tried to replace the fear with this determination, while Snape walked up to him. Snape had killed Dumbledore. Snape had killed Dumbledore. Snape had killed Dumbledore. While the fact that this made Snape a murderer might have added to Neville's fear, it worked to strengthen his resolution.

Snape stopped few feet away from him, glowering at Neville. "What is this supposed to mean, Longbottom?"

"Uhm…," Neville started. "… I wanted to add a passage?" he failed at making a joke, which he had hoped would increase his courage. He wasn't good at this.

"How extraordinarily funny," Snape returned. "To my office," he added in a low tone that needed no loudness.

"The headmaster's office?" Neville specified.

Snape looked at him in icy silence for a moment, before he repeated, "To my office. Now."

Neville nodded, and stepped forward carefully, wondering whether Snape would lead the way, or he was supposed to do so. Snape did not move though, but continued glaring at him, so Neville walked ahead faster, leaving Snape behind himself reluctantly. He kept staring straight forward while he was marching to the staircase that would lead to the headmaster's office, assuming Snape was following him, although he could not hear any sounds of him making steps behind him. It would not surprise him if Snape was able to hover inches over the ground.

They walked around several corners and finally down a long corridor, before the staircase came into view. Neville stopped, turning around to face Snape. The headmaster had been closer on his toes than expected, for he was already directly next to Neville.

"Dumbledore," Snape mumbled, and Neville looked at him confused, before the staircase started moving, making the way upstairs free. In his confusion and surprise Neville had already missed that this was the password, 'Dumbledore'. He was still looking at Snape wondering. It was strange that Snape had chosen this password. Unless the staircase had chosen it, and Snape had to take what he got. This seemed more likely, especially judging from the now even grimmer expression on the headmaster's face. But he would certainly have been able to change it, wouldn't he?

"Go."

Neville almost jumped up the stairs. This time he had a good head start from Snape, and could take some calming breaths at the top of the stairs, before Snape arrived as well. He opened the door to his office, and ushered Neville in.

Neville glanced around the room. It was the first time that he had come up here. He could still see many things that he believed to recognize as Dumbledore's work. Snape had not removed all of it, although one could also see some signs that the new headmaster had moved in here, if the eerie liquids in different coloured bottles that Neville could see on one shelf on his left side where any indication.

"Explain," Snape said suddenly. He had been speaking quietly, but apparently it could not have been sounding more thoroughly throughout the whole room, if he had bellowed. Neville turned to him once again, his glance going over the shelf of books over Snape's head. He noticed that a couple of books were missing in between the long row of obviously very old volumes.

He also realized that he would have to answer Snape's request at some point.

"I… can't," he said slowly. Snape was glaring silently. "I don't know," Neville continued. "It just happened." He paused. "You know sometimes there are accidents…"

"Especially caused by you, Longbottom?" the headmaster clarified.

"Yes," Neville replied quietly, looking past Snape now, wishing he were somewhere far far away. He figured though that there was a chance Snape would believe it had been an accident, considering his low opinion of him. On the other hand, Snape wasn't stupid.

"Out," he said now, in an equally quiet voice as before, but Neville still started. He turned and strode quickly over to the door where he stopped dead when Snape's voice sounded once again behind him.

"The only reason you get out of this without detention," he explained coldly, "is because I think you would do more harm than good in any task that would even be remotely useful to this school."

Neville let him talk, not caring about these words at the moment at all. He was too used to this from Snape, and he would certainly not feel more down because of what a Death Eater said about him. The only important thing on his mind now was to get out of Snape's office and up to the Gryffindor tower as fast as possible.

When Snape did not say anything further, Neville made a careful step forward, unwilling to glance back to see if the headmaster was still paying attention to him. When nothing happened, Neville opened the door, cursing himself for the slight tremble in his hand. He breathed out when he was outside and had closed the door behind himself.

Then he broke into a run. He hurried down the staircase, and along the corridors he had walked along with Snape. Soon he passed the place where he had blasted the hole into the wall and wondered if Filch would have to repair it on the next day. Neville ran up to their common room, almost forgetting about a vanishing step in the stairs in his hurry.

He came to a sudden halt in front of the portrait hole where the Fat Lady was looking down at him sleepily. "Where have you been?" she questioned. Neville ignored her and said the password, hoping that the _other_password he now knew would be valid when they would try to use it.

Once in the coming room, he found Ginny and Seamus still sitting there. He smiled. He had not really thought about it, but now he realized that he could not really have expected them to go to bed without knowing what had happened to him.

Ginny jumped up. "What happened?" she asked directly. "What did you do? What did Snape do?"

Neville looked at his two friends and could see the curiosity in their faces, knowing that they were wondering if he had got the password, but did not dare to ask before they knew about Neville.

"I blasted a hole into the castle wall," he said, even blushing slightly in his wonder what the other two would think about this stunt.

Seamus opened his mouth, staring at him for a second. "Amazing!" he exclaimed, and Neville blushed even more, before the three of them broke into laughter.

"Snape took me to his office, I got the password by the way," Neville informed them then, on which both of his friends cheered. "I kind of talked myself out of it," he added, shaking his head in slight confusion. Ginny and Seamus were still staring at him, and Neville wondered for a second if that was like Harry felt when everybody stared at him.

He looked into the fire that was still warming the common room at this time of night, thinking.

"I guess we should do it now," he started then, insecure in taking the lead. "Let's go and get that sword tonight."

**TBC**


End file.
